Game Overview
【Title】AD&D Pool of Radiance
【Platform】NES (Famicom)
【Genre】Role Playing
【Manufacturer】Pony Canyon Inc.
【Release Date】1991/6/28
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Story
Liberate Franc!
The new Franc City Council is fighting to liberate a city that has fallen into the wrong hands.
Even now, heroes are slowly making up ground in the city.
Wealth and prestige!
The Council is looking for heroes to come to the new Franc. Soldiers, sorcerers, monks, bandits, anyone can join. The riches of the ancient city await those who take them.
Glory!
You too can join the legendary heroes through the efforts to open up the new Fran.
Two ship departures a month will be made to Franc. When you arrive, stop by the new Franc City Council for the latest news and information.
A bright future in the new Franc!
Game Reviews
“AD&D Pool of Radiance” is a 3D dungeon RPG ported to the NES from the PC version of “Pool of Radiance” from the “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” (AD&D) series.
It was the most well-received of the AD&D series ported to the NES.
“Pool of Radiance” is a PC/AT compatible role-playing game released by Strategic Simulations (SSI) in the United States in June 1988. It is based on the first edition of the table talk RPG “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons”.
The game is a 3D perspective RPG similar to “Wizardry” with the concept of time passing, including day and night, and age.
The adventure in “AD&D Pool of Radiance” begins in the city of Fran, an abandoned city on the northern coast of the Moon Sea. There, adventurers from different countries are trying to rebuild this once prosperous city.
The story is about taking back the ruined city of Flan from the hands of monsters. The adventurers, the players’ alter egos, have read the flyer, boarded a ship, and come to Fran, dreaming of a fortune. They appear as characters just beginning their adventure at one experience level, and as they grow to higher experience levels, they restore Fran to its former glory.
The game progresses in the form of completing quests requested by the “New Fran City Council”. Each quest is carefully crafted and unfolds in a variety of ways depending on the player’s choices. There are numerous events and quests available, and players are free to move outside of the city of Franc.
While most computer RPGs of the time had a fixed method of resolving quests, “AD&D Pool of Radiance” is structured with an awareness of table talk RPG scenarios, with multiple solutions for a single quest.
There are six character races to choose from: human, dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf and half-ring. Each race has different physical abilities, different occupations, different multi-classes, and different level limits.
There are four different occupations to choose from: Warrior, Monk, Wizard, and Thief. In the NES version, occupations are limited to each race. For example, dwarves can only be warriors even if they are good with their hands, and halflings can only be thieves even if they have the aptitude for warriors.
In addition, nine different character life views, called “alignments,” are set. Players are free to decide their actions, but the alignment affects, among other things, the evaluation of the player by non-player characters (NPCs) in the game.
In “AD&D Pool of Radiance,” players can create up to five player characters and form parties for adventures. Guest NPCs may also join the party for some quests, and NPCs can be hired as mercenaries.
NPCs can heal wounds with magic or deliver treasures, just like the player characters. However, in battle, NPCs are automatically controlled by the AI.
Furthermore, NPCs have hidden parameters such as loyalty and morale, and low morale can cause NPCs to flee on their own when the party’s fortunes deteriorate. The game is unique in that NPCs can be a great help to the player, but they can also be a pain in the ass.
Combat is turn-based tactical combat. Enemies are engaged in long battles. However, there are not many experience points to be gained from combat. The game balance is such that experience points are gained more from hidden treasures and fulfilling requests than from combat, so it is possible to advance through the game while avoiding combat as much as possible.
Of course, you can also enjoy the game by destroying all enemies and opening up new areas.
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